Worlds of Darkness - Beta

[killdash9]

We are beta testing a new game on Dreamline (din.elwynor.com) - Worlds of Darkness

Please come check it out and provide feedback on if you feel the game development should continue.

Thanks!

-kd9

[Kracken]

killdash9 wrote:
> We are beta testing a new game on Dreamline (din.elwynor.com) - Worlds of
> Darkness
>
> Please come check it out and provide feedback on if you feel the game
> development should continue.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -kd9

Hi guys, here my notes on this game:

"You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike"

Unfinished work, but quite interesting attempt at a SSI-like 3D BBS game.
IMHO, it feels more like a framework that authors were starting to fine-tune it and add content.
By starting, I mean that everything seems ready for a fully-fledged ssi game, but it's clear they didn't spent much time into balancing, beta-testing,
adding textures, landmarks, quests, etc.
The game is initially fun, until you realize it's not really playable. :(
Still a laudable effort into making a unique majorbbs game.

Walkthrough:

- Pick a class/race then start (choice doesn't matter apparently)
- You literally starts in what looks like a town (front of weapon shop) but it's really a maze
- You move around town in 3D view, you will get attacked soon into "combat window". When it pops up, you have to reach the X to exit.
- But mobs (U) are moving toward you. You have to attack them with 'A' then the direction of the mob. Kill them then exit.
- When you need HP, just 'Z' sleep it.
- You get level 2 very quickly and gets very easy after (you can one-shot everything, and never be bothered by mob). But you're stuck level 2, next level unattainable (no XP)
- You also get rich, but nothing to buy.
- Weapon shop: weapons are 0 gold, some 400, and the best is useless anyway as you one-shot all mobs.
- Sometime you die of lack of sleep.. but you cannot sleep since your HP is always full.. both in combat or in labyrinth
- In tavern, buy drink.. then drunk forever. No effect.


LANDMARKS FOUND (XX/YY)
-----------------------
05/07: Porticulis (open)
47/43: Portcullis (closed)
55/37: Teleporter
20/87: Teleported
25/35: Tavern
36/41: Weapon
34/26: Church
22/19: facing north goes to 22/90 (bug)
10/9: facing west become 9/99 (bug)

Notes:

- You can die randomly but you can (R)etry at same spot with same gold/wespon/xp so no consequence.
- To move around: SHIFT + direction keypad to STRAFE left, right, N, S.. but to TURN, you have to use 7 and 9.
- And you easily get lost because the combat view always distract. All walls are alike, so the only way to know where you are is X/Y coordinates.
- The graphical compass as-is is useless (doc says you need to find it (to enable yours?) but nowhere to be found.
- Some bugs with X/Y coordinates (ie: moving north doesn't y=y-1 at some spots)
- Not sure about multiusers interactions, would need to create several accounts and test simultaneously.
- Any SYSOP special power? Teleport function would help troubleshooting.

Bottom line:

Looks to me a big effort to bring this game to the intended state original authors had.
Not sure it's worth it with respect to all other challenges ahead with other games.
Now, I personally would see value in this addon *asis*, for the curiosity and uniqueness.
Besides I'd love to look at the MSG to see if I missed some landmarks/triggers, or test sysop powers, if available.
Maybe I just didn't found the door that lead to the nice ANSI-colorized forest :) (I doubt it).

[daniel_spain]

Kracken wrote:

>
> Looks to me a big effort to bring this game to the intended state original authors
> had.
> Not sure it's worth it with respect to all other challenges ahead with other games.
> Now, I personally would see value in this addon *asis*, for the curiosity and
> uniqueness.
> Besides I'd love to look at the MSG to see if I missed some landmarks/triggers, or
> test sysop powers, if available.
> Maybe I just didn't found the door that lead to the nice ANSI-colorized forest :) (I
> doubt it).

reminiscent of swords and sorcery? wold love to get that source and port it. swords of chaos too. something about that game was mysterious as well.

[Kracken]

daniel_spain wrote:

>
> reminiscent of swords and sorcery? wold love to get that source and port it. swords
> of chaos too. something about that game was mysterious as well.

WOD is graphical, but it's more 3D. I think the closest match on the door side are "Dungeon Master" or "Mines of Gorr"
S&S or Oltima2K are more 2D rogue-like (ie: ZZT, SAGE, Nethack, Beastdomain)
S&S, yes it's slow, but the NPC interaction are interesting. In majornews it was very pricey, overhyped imho :)
I think I red somewhere that the source was lost forever :(

[Questman]

Swords & Sorcery source is gone forever. There was a lawsuit by, I think, Kesmai which nixed the module and Don Arnel of Logicom literally torched his last backups in a bonfire of Major BBS era stuff.

This game is definitely unfinished but quite playable and a lot of the stuff is there. The maze is meant to be just that - it's a world of darkness afterall.

As an aside - I edited the last two posts reducing the amount quoted. Let's not quote everything and then add one line to the bottom new :)

It makes the forums very hard to read!

[Kracken]

Questman wrote:
> Swords & Sorcery source is gone forever. There was a lawsuit by, I
> think, Kesmai which nixed the module and Don Arnel of Logicom literally
> torched his last backups in a bonfire of Major BBS era stuff.
>
> This game is definitely unfinished but quite playable and a lot of the
> stuff is there. The maze is meant to be just that - it's a world of
> darkness afterall.
>
> As an aside - I edited the last two posts reducing the amount quoted.
> Let's not quote everything and then add one line to the bottom new :)
>
> It makes the forums very hard to read!

Yes I noticed that when you reply, all the snowballed threads are brought up automatically (no button to disable that)
Since we clearly see previous posts in phpbb, it's not really useful, unless you want to comment on specific parts of the previous posts.
For subjects requiring back and forth, it gets messy unless you deliberately chop the quoted block.
Edit: Nevermind, there's the "post reply" button at lower left which does allow reply without quoting. <g>